Tape cartridge



May 27, 1969 zlMMER ET AL 3,446,343

TAPE CARTRIDGE Filed April 8. 1968 PULL 1250 IN VENTURE JOAN/155E mzvfiaa/J BY BH/L/P H. Z/MMER J f 41% 47' 019N578 United States Patent 3,446,343 TAPE CARTRIDGE Philip H. Zimmer, Minneapolis, and Joannes F. Van

Rooij, St. Paul, Minn., assignors to Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, St. Paul, Minn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 8, 1968, Ser. No. 719,553 Int. Cl. B6511 55/00, 75/02; B65d 85/04 US. Cl. 206-52 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cartridge for supplying and dispensing convolutely wound strip material which material has the free end thereof held to the outer convolution by a strip of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape. The tape strip is formed with a tap at each end affording easy withdrawal of the 'free end of the strip material from the cartridge by positioning the release tab and maintaining it at the outlet openmg.

This invention relates to a cartridge for supplying strip material to an apparatus and in one aspect relates to a supply cartridge for containing and dispensing a plastic tape of the type used in the tape marking machines such as an embossing device.

Cartridges for containing and dispensing strip material are well known in the art, and several known patents exist on cartridges for containing and dispensing embossable strip material. One known US. Patent No. 3,127,989 provides a container formed of symmetrical sections which when hinged together provide a tape discharge outlet for the material. Material is supplied in this cartridge in roll form with the free end merely wound on the roll and disposed within the cartridge, making it difiicult to locate and position through the proper discharge outlet. U.S. Patent No. 3,129,813 also discloses a magazine for tape storage and dispensing and this magazine uses a slot in the edge wall of the cartridge through which the free end of a convolutely wound strip of tape is positioned through the discharge outlet and returned back into the cartridge to hold it in position, permitting ready access to the end of the tape. However, in the production of this type of magazine for supplying the tape, considerable time and labor is utilized in placing the roll in the container with the free end through the slot to hold the same. It is also known that rolls of tape or other strip material are supplied with the outer free end of the strip material held to the roll by a pressure-sensitive tape. The tape used to tape the free end to the outer convolution may also be provided at one end with a tab. However, when utilizing this type of hold down for a roll of material in a cartridge the roll is still permitted to turn into the cartridge during shipment and handling, thus the tab for grasping the tape will be disposed inside the cartridge and not easily accessible to the user.

The present invention has the advantage over the pre vious known cartridges in that the novel hold-down member for the free end of the tape has a tab maintained in position at the discharge outlet due to the provision of a trailing tab on the opposite end of the securing tape strip which trailing tab abuts against a fixture in the cartridge, preventing rotation of the wound roll of strip material relative to the cartridge during shipping and handling.

The above and further advantages and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description which refers to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an end view of the cartridge in open position;

3,446,343 Patented May 27, 1969 FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of the cartridge in open position with the roll of tape disposed in the cartridge;

FIGURE 3 is an elevational view of the cartridge in closed position with the tape disposed therein; and

FIGURE 4 is a detail plan view of the hold-down tape.

The tape supply cartridge of the present invention comprises a blank forming two integral shells or halves identified as 5 and 6. These halves are hinged by a web 7 along the mating upper edge flange 8 and 9 of each half, respectively, which flanges 8 and 9 are substantially straight and form the top of the cartridge. When the halves are folded upon one another they define a tape coil-receiving chamber. The chamber is provided with one peripheral discharge opening through which the tape may be withdrawn, which opening is formed between flanges 8 and 9 and edge flanges 11 and 12 which extend periph erally from the opening to and along the cartridge bottom. Additional edge flanges 13 and 14 extend from the top flanges 8 and 9 peripherally along the other side of the cartridge but terminate short of the bottom flange to cut-out sections 16 and 17 formed in the side walls 18 and 19 of the cartridge halves 5 and 6, respectively.

Means are provided opposite the hinge or web 7 to hold the cartridge shells in closed position. As illustrated, the holding means comprises a pair of pins 21 and 22 on the shell 6 and sockets or holes 23 and 24 in shell 5 to receive said pins. Additional pins may be utilized as necessary to hold the cartridge closed. A stud 26 projects into the coil-receiving chamber from the center of side wall 19. The cut-out section 16 is larger than cut-out section 17 to permit a winding spool to be inserted over stud 26 to wind the tape 27 into the closed cartridge, if desired, into a convolutely wound coil or roll. Alternatively, wound and taped (secured) rolls may be placed in the cartridge half 6 and then the cartridge half 5 may be closed upon the half 6. The tape rolls should have an outer diameter somewhat less than the inner diameter of the chamber to permit easy insertion.

The free end 29 of the wound tape roll is secured to the outer convolution of the roll by a length of releasable pressure-sensitive tape 30, preferably polyester backed transparent pressure-sensitive tape, on the ends of which are formed a release tab 31 having a length greater than the trailing tab 32 on the opposite end. Each tab is relatively stiff and the release tab 31 may carry a brand name, or other identifying mark and will have a major portion extending through the discharge opening. The tabs may be formed by covering the adhesive on the ends of the tape strip with paper or card stock or by removing or killing the adhesive on the ends of the tape strip.

The trailing tab 32 projects tangentially from the roll and abuts a fixture in the cartridge to restrict rotation of the roll which would cause tab 31 to be displaced from its position projecting out of the discharge opening. The fixture as illustrated comprises a small rectangular projection 33 disposed to project into the coil-receiving chamher from the top corner of each half of the cartridge opposite the discharge opening. The projections 33 project generally radially from the inside surface of flanges 13 and 14 and also are integral with the side walls 18 and 19..

The projections 33 form a trap for the free end of tab 32 between the projections and flanges 8 and 9. Thus the tab 32 and the fixture restrain the roll against rotation in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 2 to displace the tab 31, and the tab 31, due to the relative stifl'ness of the tab and of the tape and position of flanges 11 and 12 relative to the end of the tape 30 and beginning of tab 31, restrain rotation of the roll clockwise as shown in FIGURE 2 to displace the tab 31. Thus shipment and handling of the cartridge does not cause the tab 31 to become displaced and not easily accessible to the user.

The user or purchaser desiring to withdraw the tape 27 merely grasps the tab 31 and pulls, This will release the free end 29 of the tape 30 from the outer convolution of the roll and it may be withdrawn. After extracting the free end of the tape 27 then the trailing tab 32 may be grasped to strip the tape 30 from the end of the tape 27. The free end of the embossable tape 27 or other strip material may then be fed into a machine.

The terms top, clockwise, and counterclockwise as used herein are relative and are used for description and not as a limiting term.

' What is claimed is:

1. A cartridge for supplying a secured convolutely wound length of strip material to the customer which aifords easy access to the free end of the strip material to withdraw the same from the cartridge, said cartridge comprising a pair of members having side walls and edge flanges to define a coil-receiving chamber and having at least one interruption in the peripheral extent of the edge flanges to form a discharge opening in the outer periphery, the improvement comprising a length of pressure-sensitive adhesive tape placed over the free end of said strip material and a portion of the outer convolution of said strip material to secure the free end to said outer convolution, a tab formed at each end of said pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, one tab being positioned at said discharge opening to project beyond the edge flange, the other tab being positioned within said chamber, and projection means in said chamber projecting from the edge flanges toward said wound strip material to abut said other tab for restricting rotation of said strip material in said chamher.

2. A cartridge as claimed in claim 1 wherein said one tab has a length greater than said other tab and projects from the wound strip material through said discharge opening.

3. A cartridge as claimed in claim 1 wherein said pro jection means comprises a projection integral with a side Wall and edge flange and projecting from said edge flange inwardly of the chamber to define with a flange a trap for said other tab in a position spaced circumferentially from said discharge opening.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,465,786 8/ 1923 Wheildon 2065 8 2,262,874 11/1941 Wright 20652 2,646,877 7/ 1953 Scholl 20652 2,876,892 3/ 1959 Coons 206-52 MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner. 

